Sounsly Apaisant Reviewed by Ali Pardiwala at www.bgr.in

The personal audio space in India is developing rapidly, and it’s now possible to buy from a wide range of brands and products from the comfort of your home. Whether it’s an affordable headset priced at under Rs 200 or the Rs 45,00,000 Sennheiser HE 1, there’s something for everyone. But most of these headphones are built abroad and imported into India. What about Indian-developed products?

Headphone engineering in India is rudimentary, but it does exist. Last year, we reviewed the Evidson Audiowear R5 and Audiowear B2, which are among the first mass-marketed Indian developed in-ear headphones. Today, we’re reviewing the Soundsly Apaisant, which is engineered and developed by Indian audio distributor and online store HiFiNage. Priced at Rs 4,221, the Soundsly Apaisant is a hybrid-driver headset featuring one dynamic driver and one balanced armature driver in each earpiece. We review this developed-in-India IEM today.

Soundsly Apaisant In-Ear Headphones Design and Specifications

With IEMs, there’s usually very little to focus on when it comes to design. Construction materials and layout are all-important, and the Soundsly Apaisant gets most of this right. The ear casings are metal and have flexible plastic stalks leading to the cables. Interestingly, the Apaisant is open-backed, with a small grille that allows sound out the back of the in-ears. Sound leakage isn’t too much, and these won’t bother people around you as is typically the case with open-backed headphones.

The cable is a simple rubber-coated affair, and isn’t tangle resistant at all. You will also hear a bit of cable noise from it when it rubs against your clothes. The cable leading to the right earpiece has an in-line three-button remote and microphone. There isn’t much effort going into design either, with the Soundsly logo etched onto the remote and earpieces in plain text. However, the remote and 3.5mm pin are built well. Don’t expect good looking headphones with the Soundsly Apaisant; you’re buying this for other benefits.

The headset features a hybrid-driver system, with one balanced armature and one dynamic driver in each earpiece. It’s one of the most affordable hybrid-driver IEMs available in India today, and is tuned to take advantage of the two-driver system. The headset has an impedance of 32 Ohms and a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz. The company states that it has been tuned for a balanced, neutral sonic signature.

Soundsly Apaisant In-Ear Headphones Performance

While the Soundsly Apaisant does have an in-line remote and microphone for the added convenience of hands-free calling, the headset is primarily meant for music. The tuning has been set for a balanced approach, rather than the typical V-shaped sonic signature that suits most popular music today. We listened to Brasstracks Opposite Ways and Seven Lions’ Without You My Love as focus tracks, along with a wide range of music from all genres.

Starting with the jazz-hip hop track Opposite Ways, what I particularly enjoyed about the headphones is the open-ness of the sound. It’s a wide, clean sound that truly adheres to the promise of a balanced sonic signature. This level of neutrality makes for a strong, striking tone to the sound. Sound across the frequency range is clean, strongly defined and distinct. There’s a gentle attack to the low end, reverberating vocals and mids, highs that aren’t too sharp, but aren’t too blunt either. The saxophone elements from Brasstracks sound beautiful and powerful at the same time.

Moving on to the chill-step track Without You My Love, we also raised the volume to almost unsafe levels. This caused a fair bit of sound leakage, owing to the open-backed design. However, this is one of the most interesting renditions of this chillstep track that I’ve heard, owing to the unique sonic signature of the Soundsly Apaisant. The tonal capabilities of the headphones are particular audible in this track, and the lack of an aggressive drop also brought out the quality of the Apaisant’s sound. The bass hits are tight, the highs have a magical sense of sparkle, while the openness and wide soundstage of the headphones continue to offer a refreshing sense of sound.

On the whole, the tuning of the headphones puts the dual-driver system to optimal use, giving you the attack of the dynamic drivers, the tonal superiority of the balanced armature drivers and the sheer width of an open-backed and dual-driver design.

Verdict

The Soundsly Apaisant in-ear headphones aren’t something you’ll have likely heard of. It’s a small project by a company that is otherwise in the business of selling headphones rather than making them. However, it is Indian at heart, and is engineered for clean audio output. It’s also among the most affordable hybrid-driver headphones you can buy right now.

If you enjoy a balanced, neutral sound, the Soundsly Apaisant is one of the best headsets you can buy right now at under Rs 5,000. Don’t expect too much in terms of design, but this headset is about the sound rather than the aesthetics.